In a tragic turn of events at a California nudist resort, someone murdered an elderly couple, concealing their bodies in a neighbor’s bunker. Daniel Menard, 79, and Stephanie Menard, 73, residents of the Olive Dell Ranch in Colton, suffered fatal blunt-force trauma to their heads.
A simmering dispute over tree trimming allegedly drove Michael Royce Sparks to commit the ruthless murders of his neighbors, New York Post reported.
Daniel and Stephanie Menard, devoted members of their community, vanished from their home on August 24. Their friends quickly became concerned when they and their dog Cuddles were not found at their usual spots within the resort.
A friend raised the alarm the following day, prompting local authorities to conduct a search. The couple's disappearance led to an intense investigation, which soon turned towards their neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks, who had expressed significant animosity towards them over a minor property dispute.
Neighbor Tammie Wilkerson revealed that Sparks’s anger was rooted in the Menards' routine trimming of tree limbs along their shared property line. Sparks’s disdain for this practice was profound and well-known among residents, leading investigators directly to him as a suspect.
Refusing to cooperate with the police, Sparks barricaded himself inside his home, leading to a standoff with law enforcement. After he failed to surrender, police breached his residence using armored vehicles. Inside, authorities found a grim scene: a homemade concrete bunker beneath the destroyed home.
Sparks attempted to end his own life with a rifle during the standoff, but as Police spokesperson Carl Baker noted, “the rifle misfired.” Authorities took him into custody, and the search through the bunker yielded a horrifying discovery—the bodies of the Menards, along with bags of evidence linked to their deaths.
The community of Olive Dell Ranch has been left reeling from the incident. Sandy Marinelli, a friend of the Menards, lamented the senseless nature of the violence. “I just want them back,” she expressed, grief-stricken. “They don’t deserve this… They’re just good people. They go to church. They don’t deserve any of this.”
Following the discovery, autopsies determined that both Daniel and Stephanie died from blunt-force trauma to the head, officially ruling their deaths as homicides. Authorities arrested Sparks and charged him with two counts of murder, citing special circumstance allegations due to the nature of the crimes.
Sparks has since entered a not-guilty plea and remains in custody without bail at the San Bernardino West Valley Detention Center. Additionally, the court has set his date for October 18, when he will face the charges against him.
Moreover, this tragic event underscores the devastating impact that seemingly minor disputes can have, escalating to violence that shatters lives and communities. Ultimately, the forthcoming trial will likely offer some closure to those affected, though the loss endured by the Menards’ friends and family is irreparable.
